It was 1997...

[goldenhawk96]

In 1997 I was fortunate enough to attend the NCAA tournament for rounds 1 and 2 in Utah.

As always with Mr. Davis, we were the 8 seed. We played a solid game and led by Dre and "Life as a G" we took out Virginia.
Before our 2nd round game I went with my father to a Hawkeye Huddle. Greg Stokes was at the event, was introduced, and mingled with fans.

I remember 2 fans asking Greg if Iowa would be better the next year: Iowa was graduating Dre, BUT the rest of the team was returning; plus, 2 highly recruited players by the names of Ricky Davis and Dean Oliver were joining the fold.

Stokes did not hesitate: we would not be better. The 2 freshmen and the rest of the returners could not replace Dre.

A few hours later I watched Dre carry Iowa on his back for 40 minutes in a fantastic losing effort to Rick Patino's squad. A senior effort if I saw one.

Stokes' words proved prophetic: Iowa struggled mightily the next year.

Why do I share? I feel expectations for this team are based a great deal on our freshmen class. The reality is, unless you are the Fab 5, you will struggle with freshmen in spots; you will take some steps back with freshmen; you will see inconsistency with freshmen.

And that's when you have an excellent class, which we do.

Stay the course with these young Hawks.

 

[Tmoney12]

In 1997 I was fortunate enough to attend the NCAA tournament for rounds 1 and 2 in Utah.

As always with Mr. Davis, we were the 8 seed. We played a solid game and led by Dre and "Life as a G" we took out Virginia.
Before our 2nd round game I went with my father to a Hawkeye Huddle. Greg Stokes was at the event, was introduced, and mingled with fans.

I remember 2 fans asking Greg if Iowa would be better the next year: Iowa was graduating Dre, BUT the rest of the team was returning; plus, 2 highly recruited players by the names of Ricky Davis and Dean Oliver were joining the fold.

Stokes did not hesitate: we would not be better. The 2 freshmen and the rest of the returners could not replace Dre.

A few hours later I watched Dre carry Iowa on his back for 40 minutes in a fantastic losing effort to Rick Patino's squad. A senior effort if I saw one.

Stokes' words proved prophetic: Iowa struggled mightily the next year.

Why do I share? I feel expectations for this team are based a great deal on our freshmen class. The reality is, unless you are the Fab 5, you will struggle with freshmen in spots; you will take some steps back with freshmen; you will see inconsistency with freshmen.

And that's when you have an excellent class, which we do.

Stay the course with these young Hawks.

Fantastic post. Great story thanks for sharing

 

[Church]

Fantastic post. Great story thanks for sharing

Nailed it! This team is going to be up and down. They are still very young and will struggle against physical, athletic teams like WSU. Had Gesell not had early foul trouble things may have been different. What really needs to happen, though, is for Marble to wake up and make some plays. The youth needs leadership from him this year.

 

[doclee]

In 1997 I was fortunate enough to attend the NCAA tournament for rounds 1 and 2 in Utah.

As always with Mr. Davis, we were the 8 seed. We played a solid game and led by Dre and "Life as a G" we took out Virginia.
Before our 2nd round game I went with my father to a Hawkeye Huddle. Greg Stokes was at the event, was introduced, and mingled with fans.

I remember 2 fans asking Greg if Iowa would be better the next year: Iowa was graduating Dre, BUT the rest of the team was returning; plus, 2 highly recruited players by the names of Ricky Davis and Dean Oliver were joining the fold.

Stokes did not hesitate: we would not be better. The 2 freshmen and the rest of the returners could not replace Dre.

A few hours later I watched Dre carry Iowa on his back for 40 minutes in a fantastic losing effort to Rick Patino's squad. A senior effort if I saw one.

Stokes' words proved prophetic: Iowa struggled mightily the next year.

Why do I share? I feel expectations for this team are based a great deal on our freshmen class. The reality is, unless you are the Fab 5, you will struggle with freshmen in spots; you will take some steps back with freshmen; you will see inconsistency with freshmen.

And that's when you have an excellent class, which we do.

Stay the course with these young Hawks.

Wait until some of our regular (troll) posters get ahold of this very interesting, informative, and revealing article. They won't understand it; and, you will be accused of drinking kool aid. Same old. Same old.

 

[Eda]

Fantastic post. Great story thanks for sharing

Agreed. Terrific post.

 

[linus19]

In 1997 I was fortunate enough to attend the NCAA tournament for rounds 1 and 2 in Utah.

As always with Mr. Davis, we were the 8 seed. We played a solid game and led by Dre and "Life as a G" we took out Virginia.
Before our 2nd round game I went with my father to a Hawkeye Huddle. Greg Stokes was at the event, was introduced, and mingled with fans.

I remember 2 fans asking Greg if Iowa would be better the next year: Iowa was graduating Dre, BUT the rest of the team was returning; plus, 2 highly recruited players by the names of Ricky Davis and Dean Oliver were joining the fold.

Stokes did not hesitate: we would not be better. The 2 freshmen and the rest of the returners could not replace Dre.

A few hours later I watched Dre carry Iowa on his back for 40 minutes in a fantastic losing effort to Rick Patino's squad. A senior effort if I saw one.

Stokes' words proved prophetic: Iowa struggled mightily the next year.

Why do I share? I feel expectations for this team are based a great deal on our freshmen class. The reality is, unless you are the Fab 5, you will struggle with freshmen in spots; you will take some steps back with freshmen; you will see inconsistency with freshmen.

And that's when you have an excellent class, which we do.

Stay the course with these young Hawks.

Excellent post and great story. I have to agree, be patient with this team. There will be ups and downs this year, but I also expect we'll see these guys grow and mature big time before the end of the season. The future is bright and the culture and mindset is positive again.

 

[MeatMan]

the only freshman that are amazing from the get go are the ones you *cough* buy *cough* like coach Cal. unless you are in the top 10 of the recruiting world, you aren't going to just step in and be amazing. but, we do have pieces in place to be a legit player in the Big10 from now on. will we regularly compete for conference championships? no, but we'll be competitive and fun to watch. that's all we can ask for, unless you have some money to slip to a prospect...

 

[redhawk55]

excellent post. that's why i posted a thread about curbing expectations, but sports talent told me i Would be eating my words, nothing wrong with being excited, but lets face it this is a young team to expect them to go out and just roll over anybody and everybody.

 

[franstheman]

excellent post. that's why i posted a thread about curbing expectations, but sports talent told me i Would be eating my words, nothing wrong with being excited, but lets face it this is a young team to expect them to go out and just roll over anybody and everybody.

Don't bash the players please. Thanks.

 

[redhawk55]

you have got to be the biggest knucklehead on here, you start a thread trashing both Gesell and Clemmons by saying we need a PG
SO WHO'S BASHING THE PLAYERS

 

[franstheman]

you have got to be the biggest knucklehead on here, you start a thread trashing both Gesell and Clemmons by saying we need a PG
SO WHO'S BASHING THE PLAYERS

Who can penetrate..... Which neither do well yet.

 

[Tmoney12]

Who can penetrate..... Which neither do well yet.

The board would probably be a better place without both of you. Pointless arguments.. Herby got you hook, line and sinker.

 

[franstheman]

The board would probably be a better place without both of you. Pointless arguments.. Herby got you hook, line and sinker.

Can either penetrate well yet?

 

[franstheman]

I mean if any of you could say yes then I'd be wrong but you can't so.....

 

[franstheman]

Anyone who thinks they can probe the lane and create for others well yet please post your reply here with a simple yes or no.

 

[goldenhawk96]

Neither could BJ his freshmen year; neither could Oliver his freshmen year; neither could Horner his freshmen year.

It takes time. Kind of the point of my story.

 

[franstheman]

I was replying to the morons, Golden.

 

[Xerxes]

In 1997 I was fortunate enough to attend the NCAA tournament for rounds 1 and 2 in Utah.

As always with Mr. Davis, we were the 8 seed. We played a solid game and led by Dre and "Life as a G" we took out Virginia.
Before our 2nd round game I went with my father to a Hawkeye Huddle. Greg Stokes was at the event, was introduced, and mingled with fans.

I remember 2 fans asking Greg if Iowa would be better the next year: Iowa was graduating Dre, BUT the rest of the team was returning; plus, 2 highly recruited players by the names of Ricky Davis and Dean Oliver were joining the fold.

Stokes did not hesitate: we would not be better. The 2 freshmen and the rest of the returners could not replace Dre.

A few hours later I watched Dre carry Iowa on his back for 40 minutes in a fantastic losing effort to Rick Patino's squad. A senior effort if I saw one.

Stokes' words proved prophetic: Iowa struggled mightily the next year.

Why do I share? I feel expectations for this team are based a great deal on our freshmen class. The reality is, unless you are the Fab 5, you will struggle with freshmen in spots; you will take some steps back with freshmen; you will see inconsistency with freshmen.

And that's when you have an excellent class, which we do.

Stay the course with these young Hawks.

Iowa was 20-11 (9-7) in 1997-1998. A win in the 1st round of the B10 tourny against Michigan may have gotten them an NCAA bid.

Was this team as good as the previous year? No, but to say the struggled mightly is a bit of revisionist history.

 

[goldenhawk96]

Not making the tournament was struggling in the 1990s, right?
Ah, to be be in that position again!!!

 

[HawkeyeShane]

I mean if any of you could say yes then I'd be wrong but you can't so.....

You keep dragging "yet" into the argument...if "yet" was your point, why didn't your thread headline read,"Our Point Guards Need to Penetrate More"...you chose to say we need new PGs. Your point isn't pottery...stop spinning it.